20 - Hope and Folly

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[01:13] Nar
    The second match of
    Washizu Mahjong has begun.
[01:16] Nar
    However, Akagi rejects a rare opportunity
[01:20] Nar
    to regain some of the blood
    he lost during the game.
[01:23] Nar
    He has chosen to focus solely on
[01:26] Nar
    taking the last of Washizu's
    money, destroying him.
[01:33] Aka
    I don't need it.
[01:39] Oug
    Why, Akagi?!
[01:42] Oug
    Why?
[01:44] Oug
    No matter how you slice it,
    you've got to get that blood back!
[01:46] Oug
    Akagi!
[01:48] Aka
    Money.
[01:50] Aka
    I'm going to only grab
    money here like a miser.
[01:55] Aka
    Only then can I chase down Washizu.
[01:59] Aka
    Only then can I...
[02:02] Aka
    kill Washizu.
SIGN    Episode 20
SIGN    Hope and Folly
[02:07] Nar
    In the end, Akagi enters the second
    match without returning those
[02:11] Nar
    1,100 CCs of blood into his body.
SIGN    - South Hand 2 -
[02:19] oug
    It's inconceivable.
[02:20] oug
    Why won't you replenish your blood?
[02:24] oug
    Why don't you return the blood you lost?
[02:27] oug
    Why don't you try to get
    out of this danger zone?
[02:31] oug
    Why do you keep yourself in this position,
[02:34] oug
    where you could die any time
    you deal into a mangan hand?
[02:37] oug
    Akagi!
[02:41] oug
    I don't understand.
[02:43] oug
    This is something that I can't understand.
[02:46] oug
    But if I had to force myself
    to imagine a reason...
[02:51] oug
    I'd guess that by staying
    in this danger zone,
[02:54] oug
    Akagi has something to gain.
[02:57] oug
    It's as if the danger itself is
    honing something deep within him.
[03:04] oug
    Is it a matter of that sort of
    sense, that sort of sensitivity?
[03:09] oug
    Or is it meant to rattle Washizu?
[03:13] oug
    By continuing this reckless act...
[03:18] oug
    he might be trying to instill
    an indescribable fear into Washizu.
[03:23] oug
    Is he trying to make him nervous,
    to put him under pressure?
[03:29] oug
    I don't know.
[03:30] oug
    There's no way an ordinary guy
    like me can understand
[03:33] oug
    what someone like Akagi is thinking.
[03:36] oug
    Perhaps my speculations are
    completely off the mark.
[03:42] oug
    But no matter what his reasons are,
[03:45] oug
    his refusal of the transfusion is very risky.
[03:48] oug
    It's the kind of act that could
    result in death from one misstep.
[03:54] oug
    To speak plainly, it's close to suicide.
[03:57] oug
    What kind of a reckless, foolish,
    idiotic strategy is this?
[04:01] oug
    It's all over the moment
    he deals into a mangan hand.
[04:09] Aka
    Pinfu, tsumo, ittsuu, one dora. Mangan.
[04:13] Nar
    But despite Ougi's concern,
    the flow of the game favors Akagi.
[04:19] Nar
    With this win, he overturns Washizu's lead.
[04:21] Nar
    He leads by 12,000 points.
[04:23] Nar
    This time, he takes 4,000
    points from Washizu.
[04:26] Nar
    Of course, he does not ask
    for any of his blood back.
[04:28] Nar
    On to South Hand 3.
[04:32] Nar
    In South Hand 3, he sees that
    Washizu is close to tenpai.
[04:39] yasu
    Ron!
[04:46] Nar
    Akagi plays into Yasuoka's hand
    and kills Washizu's chance.
[04:50] Nar
    He ends the hand quickly
    to avoid danger.
[04:55] Nar
    The last hand, South Hand 4.
[05:01] oug
    He keeps making it through.
[05:04] oug
    At one point, he was over
    20,000 points behind.
[05:07] oug
    When he finally caught up, he didn't
    take any of his blood back.
[05:10] oug
    That made me pretty nervous,
[05:12] oug
    but I've come to realize
    that luck's on his side.
[05:16] oug
    Only one hand left.
[05:20] Nar
    If he wins this hand, he will survive.
[05:23] Nar
    The second match will end.
[05:25] Nar
    Ougi puts his hopes on this last hand.
[05:31] Nar
    This is Akagi's starting hand.
[05:34] oug
    So-so.
[05:36] oug
    It's not the best hand, but if he gets
    some good draws, he could end it quickly.
[05:40] oug
    The problem is Washizu.
[05:42] oug
    He's 9,200 points behind right now.
[05:45] oug
    The most frightening prospect
    is him getting a mangan tsumo.
[05:49] oug
    So long as that doesn't happen, we win.
[05:57] oug
    Nice!
[05:58] oug
    It looks bad for him.
[05:59] oug
    We're almost there.
[06:02] oug
    We can do this.
[06:03] oug
    Akagi will most likely win!
[06:08] Nar
    Seeing Washizu's starting
    tiles makes Ougi relax.
[06:12] Nar
    But Akagi is not so relaxed.
[06:15] Nar
    Unlike Ougi, he felt the
    exact opposite of Ougi.
[06:24] Nar
    A premonition.
[06:30] Nar
    This tile felt foreign in his hand...
[06:32] Aka
    There's a lump I have
    to cut out to win here.
[06:38] Nar
    It's the last hand of the second
    match in Washizu Mahjong.
[06:44] Nar
    On the first discard,
    Akagi uncharacteristically pauses.
[06:48] oug
    What's going on?
[06:50] oug
    There's nothing particularly
    worrisome here.
[06:53] oug
    You're 9,200 points ahead of Washizu.
[06:56] oug
    So long as Washizu doesn't get
    a mangan tsumo, it's all good.
[07:01] oug
    Then we can end the
    second match in the lead.
[07:05] oug
    His victory would be certain.
[07:08] oug
    And we're lucky; Washizu's
    hand doesn't look so great.
[07:14] oug
    He'll be lucky if he can win at all,
    let alone get that hand into a mangan.
[07:20] oug
    I get it. It's the dora!
[07:22] oug
    The dora is the west wind.
[07:24] oug
    And since Washizu is the west player,
    it's worth more for him now!
[07:27] oug
    If he calls that, he's
    already guaranteed a mangan.
[07:31] oug
    He's got a ticket for a mangan.
    He's got a trump card for this game,
[07:35] oug
    and he's got one in his starting hand.
[07:40] oug
    No, it might be more than one.
[07:44] oug
    If that black tile is also a west wind,
    he'll already have a pair.
[07:48] oug
    Which would make this west wind
    in Akagi's hand a ticking bomb.
[07:56] oug
    A single demon lurking in his own ranks...
[07:58] oug
    Damn it, what are you going to do?
[08:00] oug
    One false move with this west wind
    and it will end up costing his life.
[08:06] oug
    Does he have no choice but to keep it?
[08:09] oug
    So long as Washizu doesn't give it up,
[08:12] oug
    you could hold on to it
    until the end of the game.
[08:14] oug
    If you're lucky,
    you might even get a pair.
[08:18] oug
    If that doesn't happen, you would
    be forced into a single west wind wait.
[08:23] oug
    You have to be prepared for the possibility.
[08:26] oug
    But holding on to it might
    just be the safest bet.
[08:30] oug
    If not, though, will you discard it now?
[08:33] oug
    He's most likely thinking
    about the same thing.
[08:37] oug
    It'll be fine as long as Washizu
    doesn't have two of them.
[08:40] oug
    He has the one, but it's not
    likely that he has another one.
[08:44] oug
    Then it would be best to discard
    it before Washizu gets a pair.
[08:49] oug
    At least then he'd get away
    from the curse of this west wind.
[08:54] oug
    But should the opposite be true...
[08:57] oug
    should Washizu already
    have two west winds...
[09:00] oug
    That would be the absolute worst move.
[09:03] oug
    A folly that would allow Washizu
    to call his own wind, and the dora.
[09:08] oug
    It's like giving your enemy a
    knife and saying "please kill me."
[09:12] oug
    It would be an irreversible error.
[09:16] oug
    What are you going to do?
[09:18] oug
    What should you do?
[09:20] oug
    What should you...
[09:24] oug
    Akagi!
[09:32] Nar
    Akagi's first discard is a 9 of bamboo.
[09:34] Nar
    He did not discard the west wind.
[09:38] oug
    He's going to wait and see?
    Oh, that makes sense.
[09:40] oug
    It's not too late to discard the west wind
[09:43] oug
    after he's observed Washizu for a while.
[09:46] Nar
    No sooner than Ougi thought this, the situation abruptly changes.
[09:53] Was
    Chi!
[09:58] Nar
    And then...
[10:01] Was
    Pon!
[10:11] oug
    This can't be...
[10:14] Nar
    Within five seconds of Akagi
    discarding that first tile,
[10:17] Nar
    Washizu calls twice.
[10:19] Nar
    His hand progresses rapidly.
[10:22] Nar
    What's more, it's a potential green dragon
    honitsu with two dora, a five han hand.
[10:27] Nar
    It's entirely possible to take
    the lead with a mangan tsumo.
[10:30] Nar
    And that hand seems to be almost ready.
[10:33] oug
    No! It can't be!
[10:35] oug
    How is this possible?
[10:37] oug
    I don't think he's in tenpai yet, but...
[10:41] oug
    there's no way Akagi can
    discard the west wind now.
[10:44] oug
    If he does and Washizu calls it, he could
    get a green dragon honitsu with three dora.
[10:49] oug
    A haneman.
[10:50] oug
    He's 9,200 points behind right now,
[10:54] oug
    so he wouldn't even need
    a tsumo with that haneman.
[10:56] oug
    Having Suzuki deal into his hand
    would be enough to take the lead.
[10:59] oug
    He'll crumble...
[11:01] oug
    Akagi will die!
[11:14] oug
    D-Don't tell me...
[11:25] oug
    Don't tell me...
[11:30] oug
    I can't believe this.
[11:32] oug
    From the starting hands, I was
    sure we'd make an easy getaway.
[11:36] oug
    It only took a few seconds for
    Washizu to back him into a corner.
[11:41] oug
    It's like he looked up and
    death is right behind him.
[11:46] oug
    Akagi!
[11:51] Nar
    At this point, even Ougi realizes
    that the abnormal is normal here.
[11:58] Nar
    The special rule of Washizu Mahjong,
[12:00] Nar
    betting one's life on a Mahjong
    game, is already abnormal.
[12:07] Nar
    Which means that in this abnormal world,
[12:10] Nar
    it only makes sense to regard
    the abnormal as normal.
[12:15] oug
    Akagi has understood this from the start.
[12:19] oug
    He knew that his life is at risk
    in this game of Washizu Mahjong.
[12:24] oug
    You'll be pushed to the very brink
    and are forced to continue playing.
[12:28] oug
    Being able to maintain your
    concentration is your lifeline.
[12:34] oug
    He also knew that thinking
    you were safe from a mangan hand
[12:40] oug
    just because you had your blood
    transfused back into your body
[12:44] oug
    was the wrong way of thinking.
[12:47] oug
    He made his choice
    based on the situation.
[12:50] oug
    He knows that he must change his
    game according to the situation.
[12:54] oug
    Thinking "I'll be all right
    even if he gets a mangan,
[12:56] oug
    so I can discard this risky tile,"
[12:58] oug
    is the normal way to think.
[13:00] oug
    It's fine for a normal game,
    but it's too weak for Washizu Mahjong.
[13:07] nar
    That's a thought that
    one must not give in to.
[13:10] nar
    It ultimately means that one
[13:12] nar
    doesn't really mind dealing
    into their opponent's hand.
[13:16] nar
    As a result, you stop trying to
    read your opponents completely
[13:20] nar
    and you will play the
    odds on certain tiles.
[13:22] nar
    You will start making half-hearted
    guesses about the opponent's hand.
[13:26] nar
    Both foresight and
    determination deteriorate.
[13:29] nar
    Playing Mahjong like that leads to
    failure at the most crucial moment.
[13:34] nar
    Impurities will start to filter
    into the thought process.
[13:38] nar
    That is to say...
[13:42] nar
    ...fear.
[13:45] oug
    He can't let that creep into him.
[13:48] oug
    It will make its way in if he
    relaxes even for an instant.
[13:51] oug
    He'll be devoured by fear.
[13:56] oug
    I thought I had grasped that properly,
[14:00] oug
    but compared to Akagi,
    my comprehension lacked severely.
[14:04] oug
    Had I understood it,
    I never would've been so naïve
[14:08] oug
    as to consider the blood transfusion.
[14:11] oug
    The problem is, this hunger for
    safety itself is like a cancer
[14:15] oug
    that will eventually consume your mind.
[14:19] oug
    Pursuing safety and
    finding a temporary haven
[14:23] oug
    will relax your mind for a while.
[14:25] oug
    That's the way the mind works.
[14:27] oug
    It cannot be helped.
[14:29] oug
    But it's exactly that feeling
    of relief that is bad.
[14:32] oug
    In fact, since I was so
    certain of Akagi's victory,
[14:37] oug
    this predicament has me
    all the more shaken.
[14:42] oug
    An agitated mind cannot possibly
    make cold calculations.
[14:47] oug
    There is no way to keep calm
    and take countermeasures.
[14:50] oug
    You can't let your guard down,
    not even for an instant.
[14:54] oug
    Akagi understands that far
    better than I ever could.
[15:00] oug
    This is our salvation.
[15:01] oug
    His unwavering composure is our salvation.
[15:04] oug
    His utter tranquility despite
    this situation is our salvation.
[15:08] oug
    He's most likely not making any
    shallow reads of Washizu's hand.
[15:13] oug
    He's playing with a black or white mentality.
[15:17] oug
    There are no ambiguities.
[15:23] oug
    Wait a second.
[15:24] oug
    Since Akagi didn't discard that west wind, and kept it in his hand...
[15:33] oug
    That means he assumes Washizu
    has not just one, but two west winds.
[15:43] oug
    There's no doubt about it.
[15:45] oug
    This is the genius Akagi's intuition.
[15:47] oug
    His sense...
[15:50] oug
    Damn it.
[15:51] oug
    If he's right, we've got
    the worst-case scenario.
[15:55] oug
    On top of those two calls,
    he's got two west winds.
[15:59] oug
    He no longer needs to get
    a tsumo to take the lead.
[16:03] oug
    He's all clear for a haneman.
[16:05] oug
    Which means...
[16:09] oug
    annihilation!
[16:10] oug
    Death is nigh!
[16:13] Nar
    Unfortunately, Ougi's thoughts and
    Akagi's intuition were right on the mark.
[16:21] Nar
    They are reality.
[16:23] Nar
    And with this latest draw,
    Washizu's hand progresses yet again.
[16:31] Was
    I've got you now.
[16:33] Was
    One more step and I'll kill you.
[16:37] Was
    You cocky little brat.
[16:41] Was
    Tremble before me, Akagi.
[16:46] Nar
    The situation is bleak indeed.
[16:48] Nar
    Washizu no longer needs a tsumo
    nor a direct hit to take the lead.
[16:51] Nar
    He can cause an upset even if his
    underling deals into his hand.
[16:56] Nar
    But even if Akagi wanted
    to attempt anything,
[16:58] Nar
    his hand is far from tenpai.
[17:02] Nar
    No.
[17:03] Nar
    Even if he were to get great
    draws and get into tenpai,
[17:08] Nar
    he cannot discard this west wind.
[17:11] oug
    So essentially, he can't get
    into tenpai unless he goes
[17:14] oug
    for a single wait for the west
    wind or can complete the pair.
[17:19] Nar
    Among all this...
[17:27] Was
    Pon!
[17:29] Nar
    Washizu moves forward by
    calling this 1 of circles.
[17:33] Nar
    He's called three times
    without slowing down.
[17:36] Nar
    And then, the circle tiles start to flow.
[17:40] Nar
    A honitsu tenpai becomes
    more and more likely.
[17:44] Nar
    By now the possibility of the haneman
[17:46] Nar
    that will cause the
    upset is extremely real.
[17:52] oug
    It's over.
[17:53] oug
    There's nothing he can do.
[17:56] oug
    It might even end before his next draw.
[18:01] oug
    If Suzuki draws the west wind...
[18:13] oug
    We've survived.
[18:14] oug
    But it's still hopeless.
[18:17] oug
    The gap is too wide.
[18:19] oug
    If Akagi was at least in tenpai,
    he might be able to
[18:21] oug
    sneak through without
    discarding the west wind.
[18:26] oug
    But he's still two tiles from tenpai.
[18:34] oug
    And he keeps drawing useless tiles.
[18:36] oug
    He's still working on getting
    rid of his honor tiles.
[18:40] oug
    Maybe we have to rely
    on Yasuoka here.
[18:44] oug
    If he wins quickly, that could work, too.
[18:48] oug
    So long as Akagi has that
    west wind he can't discard,
[18:51] oug
    Yasuoka is our only hope.
[18:56] nar
    But Yasuoka is also not in tenpai.
    He's two tiles away.
[19:03] OUg
    Is there nothing we can do?
[19:05] OUg
    Is praying all we can do?
[19:07] OUg
    Pray that our enemy does
    not draw the deciding tile?
[19:12] OUg
    Aimlessly pray...
[19:17] OUg
    Are we forced to sit idly by...
    while praying that...
[19:23] OUg
    he'll keep drawing useless tiles?
[19:25] OUg
    And that while he keeps
    drawing useless tiles,
[19:29] OUg
    either Akagi or Yasuoka will
    somehow get into tenpai?
[19:35] OUg
    Or that Washizu can't get his winning
    tile and have the game end in a draw...
[19:41] OUg
    That we see the end of
    this hand without Washizu
[19:45] OUg
    getting a tsumo or Suzuki
    dealing into his hand.
[19:48] OUg
    That's all we can hope for!
[19:51] OUg
    No.
[19:51] OUg
    That's relying too much on the
    others and it is way too unrealistic.
[19:57] OUg
    When we consider that Washizu's
    hand just needs someone to deal into it,
[20:03] OUg
    we don't have the time
    to say things like that.
[20:06] OUg
    We need to get into tenpai.
[20:10] OUg
    It's the only way.
[20:12] OUg
    To get into tenpai before the
    enemy draws the decisive tile.
[20:17] OUg
    We have get into tenpai somehow.
[20:23] Nar
    And yet, the one tile Ougi
    wanted to be rid of,
[20:27] Nar
    the tile he wanted his own
    party to draw and kill off,
[20:31] Nar
    the tile that will decide the
    fate of Akagi and Washizu...
[20:36] Nar
    is drawn by Suzuki.
[20:47] Oug
    This can't be happening.
[20:50] Oug
    The enemy... the enemy
    got the west wind!
[20:55] Nar
    Right then, they all foresaw
    Akagi's impending death.
[21:01] Nar
    They all foresaw it,
    except for Akagi himself.
[22:16] Nar
    Next time, "A Ray of Illusion."
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SIGN    A Ray of Illusion